Preparation for a new European Convention

Preparation for a new European Convention
Background:
The European Movement International (EMI) decided to put flesh to the bones of the idea how to
involve Civil Society in the process of a new European Convention for the future of Europe to be held
after the 2014 European Elections. However the Convention should be preceded by a preliminary forum
of Civil Society Organisations for the preparation of a Convention in spring 2014 just ahead of the
elections to the European Parliament involving umbrella organizations in Brussels. In order to involve as
many diverse stakeholders and to shape the Preliminary Convention as promising as possible, national
forums/councils should be launched ahead.
Art. 48 of the EU Treaty guarantees the participation of representatives of national governments,
parliaments and the European Commission in the convention process but makes no reference to the
involvement of civil society. It is therefore essential to provide solutions how to actively involve civil
society and how to insure that the process of a new European Convention will be open and more
democratic.
Therefore EMI can use its unique position as an international platform for stakeholders in European
politics and function as facilitator. EMI is not only connecting more than 30 international umbrella
interest groups but is also head organisation of 42 national councils; reaching out to transnational and
national interest groups.
Once a preliminary convention gets demanded EMI has to secure that interest groups are broadly
represented in order to model and install a forum for political alternatives. The “Italian-German
Dialogue” supported this initiative.
Moreover, today’s technological tools and experience with gathering collective intelligence and
implementing collective decision-making procedures allow for a transnational and participatory
European convention-making process, practically calling for a broader and more inclusive process.
Concept:
Possible matrix:
With the support of the Europe for Citizens Programme of the European Union
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Monitoring: Political initiatives, opinions
Screening: Member organisations policy
Shaping: Lowest common denominator > fostering stronger position > strategy with 3rd
organisations
Leading: involvement of third organisations
Advocacy: Public Affairs Management & Public Relations
As a first step, EMI member organizations should be encouraged by the EMI secretariat to communicate
their opinion and expectations regarding a future European (Preliminary) Convention (support for the
initiative, arguments, content and expectations, etc.). National Councils should furthermore be
encouraged to demand and support a Preliminary Convention from their respective national
governments and need, in a next step, support to actually launch national forums/councils. The
respective outcomes must be collected and exchanged. EMI will therefore ensure the documentation via
a platform interchanging future perspectives of a convention.
In parallel, the EMI secretariat/Board members should be attentive to all eventual initiatives and
debates regarding a future European Convention, in order to participate in drafting and conceptualising
a global support for such an initiative. Important sparring partners within the EMI network besides
national councils are ETUC, CEMR as well as CESI. The enlargement of EMI towards other representative
organizations is additionally of great necessity.
In order to align topics relevant to the several national backgrounds and respective citizens input
themes of discussion are not to be lashed, but treated as possibilities. In respect to national
requirements and conditions, partners must be named and involved. However national institutions are
not to play a role within the civic dialogue. It is proposed to anyhow keep governments informed.
In this context, EMI and its member organizations are planning to create a transnational “Civil Society
Alliance for a European Convention” (CSAEC), bringing together like minded civil society actors in order
to build a common platform to assure an open, inclusive and more democratic convention process. EMI
as an honest broker and the largest pro and pan-European civil society organization will be expected to
take the lead of the alliance and the convention process. The consultation process inside the EMI
network and the results of different bilateral and multilateral consultation will be presented during the
EMI Federal Assembly to be held in Dublin on the 24th and 25 th of May. It will address the concept of the
convention in order to ensure a sustainable, progressive reform and a high level of popular legitimacy
and tackle the question what would need to be done to find a common strategy amongst civil society
actors across Europe for a new European convention concept.
With the support of the Europe for Citizens Programme of the European Union
If approved by the Federal Assembly, the transnational Alliance for a European Convention should then
be officially launched and immediately start working in gathering interested organizations. A follow-up
workshop in Brussels/Den Hague with member organizations and third organizations that are willing to
join the EMI should be organized in autumn this year at the latest.
In parallel, each National Member Organization of the EMI will be invited to duplicate this approach in
order to foster the debate in each Member country and eventually to structure national Civil Society
Alliances.
Regarding the tools adopted, a special focus will be put on the usage of technological tools enabling to
gather collective intelligence and support debate on the international level to discuss the major topics of
content for the future of the EU.
Timeline:
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November 2013: Follow-up workshop in Brussels/Den Hague for a strategy to take off with
national forums/councils
November 2013 – March 2014B: National forums/councils
Spring 2014: Preliminary forum in Brussels
Person in charge:
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Supervision of PC Institutional innovations
Laetitia Veriter, coordinator in the EMI secretariat
With the support of the Europe for Citizens Programme of the European Union